Bridge gate or guard



2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

(No Model.)

P. RYAN.

BRIDGE GATE 0B. GUARD.

No. 327,112. Patented Sept. 29, 1885.

Ik I N |l 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

Patented Sept. 29, 1885.

No Model.)

. BRYAN.

BRIDGE GATE 0R GUARD.Y

F9.. @WM W C w l Pm l ////////f/ W d M a. f 7... W E m E ,y l? C y, C ,lvvvvvll f 6.6. ya! we w 5.0, m L@ L UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

PATRICK RYAN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

BRIDGE GATE OR GUARD.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No, 327,112, datedSeptember 29, 1885.

Application filed April 1G, 1885.

To @ZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, PATRICK RYAN, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State ofIllinois, `have invented certain new and useful Improvements in BridgeGates or Guards, of which the following, in connection with theaccompanying drawings, is a specification.

In the drawings, Figure l is a side elevation or view showing an openbridge and one of its abutments, and also showing the improvementsconstituting my invention. Fig. 2 is a top-view of one of the abutmenls,and also showing my improvements as they there appear. Fig. Sis an endview of the parts shown in Fig. l. Fig. 4 is a like representation,showing the guards raised. Fig. 5 is also a rear View, showing theguards lowered, and also showing a modification of construction of theparts more or less directly acted upon by the bridge. Fig. 6 is a detailtop or plan view of some of the working parts; and Fig. 7 is a sectionin the plane ot' the line x :c of Fig. 6 viewed in the directionindicated by the arrow there shown. The several figures show some of theparts more or less broken away, in order more clearly to show theworking parts intended to be represented therein, respectively.

Like letters of reference indicate like parts.

A represents the bridge, and B is the pier on which it turns. Thisbridge has at each end a horizontally-protruding part, a, having beveledor inclined parts a a. The roadway is represented at b b, and b b/ arethe footways or walks.

C C are pivoted arms or verticallyswiuging guards extending in oppositedirections across the abutment, and so located that when lowered theywill close the approaches to the bridge and leave them open orunobstructed when raised.

D D are blocks or bearings, and E E are horizontal shafts turningtherein, and the outer ends of the arms are rigidly applied to theseshafts, respectively.

F is a shaft turning in bearings in the central portion of the abutment.G is a single crank-arm or an arm extending in one direction from theshaft F, and rigidly attached to one end of the said shaft, and H is adouble crank-arm rigidly attached to the other end of the same shaft.

(No model.)

I I are curved arms or connecting rods jointed or pivoted to the ends ofthe arm H and to the outer ends of the guards C C, respectively. i

J is aroller turning on a pin or stud, c. K

is a weight hung to the arm H.

The operation7 so far as relates to the parts now described, is asfollows: Presuming the bridge to be open, theguards CC willliehorizontally across the roadway and walks, so as to prevent teams andpedestrians from passing in the direction of the bridge farther than theguards. The guards are retained temporarily in this position when thebridgeis open by means of the weight K, but may be counterweighted inany well-known or suitable way for producing the same result. As thebridge is closed one of the bevels or inclines a c meets the rollerJ anddepresses it, thereby depressing the freeend ot the arm GrandV turningthe shaft Fin 'its bearings. As the shaft F is so turned thearmH isturned therewith, and the arms or rods I I are drawn in such a directionas to raise the guards to a vertical position, so as to leave thepassage-` ways or` approaches to t-he bridge open. The guards will beretained temporarily in this vertical position when the bridge isclosed,for the reason that the protruding part or ledge a then rests onthe roller .I and retains it in its depressed or lower position. Theaction of the bridge upon the other parts which control the position ofthe guards is quite sudden, 'but yet produces no injurious shock orstrain, and the approaches are guarded before the bridge is sufficientlyopen to admit of people walking off of the abutments.

It will be perceived on reference to the drawings that both guards C Cextend entirely across the roadway. This is not essential, as the freeor inner ends of the guards may meet, or nearly meet, at or near thecenter of the roadway. In fact,only one guard may be employed, but Ideem it preferable to employ two in the manner shown, so that they maybe made comparatively light, and yet oppose a sufficient barrier toteams running away.

Sometimes it may be desirable to guard the footways to the bridge bymeans of supplemental guards, instead of by means of one or more guardsextending across the footway and also across the roadway. This Iaccomplish,

by the means shown in Figs. 7 and 8, wherein C represents a supplementalarm or guard extending across the footway. This guard turns on a fixedpin or stud, d, and is connected by means of a link, e, to an arm, e',rigidly secured to the shaft or rod E. The guards Gand C, as will beperceived, will be raised and lowered together.

In Fig. 5 I have shown a modification ofthe means employed for raisingand lowering the guards, which modification consists merely induplicating some of the parts already described. In other words, thismodification consists in duplicating the parts hereinbefore referred toas the shaft F, arm G, roller J, and its aXle, arm H, (excepting that inthe modiication the arm H is a single crank-arm or extends in only onedirection from its shaft,) and the weight K. The arms I I are jointed orpivotally connected to the arms H H, respectively, so that each arm Ioperates in con nection with its own set of operative parts.

A signal of any well-known or suitable kind may be used in conjunctionwith the guards, and L represents a signal light or lantern forindicating the position of the guards at night; but as such asignal isnot a necessary part of my invention, I have not here particularlydescribed or shown the same.

Special counterbalancing-weights need not necessarily be employed, asthe parts themselves or some one or more of them may be of such weightor have their pivots or bearings so located that the guards will moveautomatically and properly to their horizontal position whenthe rollersJ J are released by the bridge. The rollers J J may be either somewhathigher or lower than represented, and the inclines a ct/ may be eitherabove or below the bridge-bottom.

It may be of advantageto maketwo or more holes in the arms H H, so thatthe arms I I may be connected thereto at the proper points withfacility.

I am aware of the features of construction .shown and described inLetters Patent of the United States of America No. 201,316, dated March12, 1878, and granted to Peter B. Wight, for the improvements indraw-bridge gates therein set forth; and I am also aware of the featuresof construction shown and described in Letters Patent of the UnitedStates of America No. 193,825, dated August 7,

187 7 ,and granted to Michael McGrath, for the improvements therein setforth, and I do not, therefore, here intend to claim any ofthe saidfeatures of construction, broadly; but,

Having thus described my invention,what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

l. The combination of the shaft F, having arms rigidly mounted thereon,the roller J, pivoted to one of thesaid arms, an arm, I, pivoted toanother of the said arms, a verticallyswinging arm or guard, C, pivotedor jointed at one end to the arm I, and aswinging bridge having thereona ledge, a, and inclines a a', substantiallyas andfor'thepurposesspecified.

2. The combination of the shaft F, having arms rigidly mounted thereon,the roller J, pivoted to one of thesaid arms, an arm, I, pivoted toanother of the said arms, a verticallyswinging arm or guard, C, pivotedor jointed at one end to the arm I, a supplemental vertically-swingingarm or guard, C, linked to an arm on the shaft F, and a swinging bridgehaving thereon a ledge, a, and inclines'a'." a, substantially as and forthe purposes specified.

3. The combination of the shaft F, having arms rigidly mounted thereon,the roller J, pivoted to one of the said arms, an arm, I, pivoted toanother of the said arms, a Vertically-swinging arm or guard, C, pivotedor jointed at one end to the arm I, a counterweight, and a swingingbridgehaving thereon a ledge, a, and inclines a a, substantially as andfor the purposes specified.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixedmy signature in presence of two witnesses.

PATRICK RYAN.

Witnesses:'

F. F. VARNER, J. B. HALPENNY.

